


Husky

by Kereng



Category: The West Wing
Genre: F/M, Humor, Romance
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2003-04-15
Updated: 2003-04-15
Packaged: 2019-05-30 10:11:41
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,370
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15094562
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Kereng/pseuds/Kereng
Summary: A copy of this work was once archived at National Library, a part of theWest Wing Fanfiction Central, a West Wing fanfiction archive. More information about the Open Doors approved archive move can be found in theannouncement post.





	Husky

**Author's Note:**

> A copy of this work was once archived at National Library, a part of the [ West Wing Fanfiction Central](https://fanlore.org/wiki/West_Wing_Fanfiction_Central), a West Wing fanfiction archive. More information about the Open Doors approved archive move can be found in the [announcement post](http://archiveofourown.org/admin_posts/8325).

**Husky**

**by:** Kerry

**Character(s):** Josh, Donna  
**Pairing(s):** Josh/Donna  
**Category(s):** Humor, Romance   
**Rating:** YTEEN **Disclaimer:** I don't own `em.  
**Summary:** 2nd in the Banter and Bets series  
**Author's Note:** This is the sequel to "Bellowed Out" and you need to read that for this to make sense.  Many, many thanks for all the feedback for that fic; it's greatly appreciated. I should probably point out that the time-setting for this is Season 4, while Sam is on his leave of absence. 

  
"You're looking awfully pleased with yourself this morning, Josh," CJ said as they left the morning Senior Staff meeting.  "Feeling better?" 

"Indeed I am, CJ.  And do you know why?" he replied with a grin. 

"Well, I'm assuming it's because you've got rid of your cold completely." 

"Oh, yeah, that too."  CJ gave him a curious look.  "But also because a problem shared is a problem halved."  CJ's look showed confusion.  "Donna has lost her voice," Josh announced with obvious delight. 

"Really?"  The question came from Toby, whose interest had now become piqued. 

"Yep, she woke up this morning with no voice." 

"And I assume you're relishing her problem," CJ stated. 

"Oh, you betcha.  I've been reveling in it all morning.  Payback's a bitch!" 

CJ rolled her eyes and Toby gave way to a slight smirk as he entered his office; Josh and CJ continued on towards their offices. 

"You are going to play nice, aren't you, Joshua?" 

"Why, CJ, what ever do you mean?" Josh asked, using his best `innocent' voice. 

"You know exactly what I mean, Josh." 

"Hey, she was the one who coined the phrase `Frog Boy' and made fun of me," he defended. 

"Yes, but she was also the one who looked after you when you actually got sick.  If I was her, I'd have left you to take care of yourself, knowing full well you'd never manage that." 

Josh was about to retort but they had reached his bullpen and a staffer thrust a folder into his hands.  He became engrossed in its contents as he walked into his office.  CJ was about to head for her own office when Josh came back out, snagged her arm and pulled her into his office. 

"Watch this," he instructed with a grin.  He looked towards the door and yelled, "Hey, Husky, where's my Mexico memo?" 

CJ turned sharp eyes on him.  "You'd better be meaning *Husky* as in gravelly-voiced and not the animal," she warned. 

"Well, I was, but now that you mention it..." he replied with a devious grin, before yelling out again, "Donna, I'm waiting.  Mush, mush, Husky."  CJ smacked him over the head. 

Donna stalked into his office a few moments later, her eyes narrowed.  She handed him his memo along with a hastily scribbled note. 

"Actually, Josh," he read aloud, "the most common term to get a team of huskies moving is not in fact `Mush', it is `Hike'.  Now, why don't you take one?"  His lips curved into a smirk as he looked at Donna.  "Now, Donnatella, that's not a very nice way to talk to your boss, is it?" 

Donna produced another piece of paper automatically, having predicted his response.  CJ grabbed it before he could read it, and she read it aloud.  "You're not a very nice boss!"  CJ grinned widely.  "Well, I gotta agree with that one." 

"Hey, Laurel and Hardy, get out of my office," Josh commanded; he failed to stop a grin appearing on his face. 

* 

CJ appeared in front of Donna's desk around lunchtime.  "Hi, how are you feeling?  Is it just your voice that's gone?" 

"I thought it was," Donna whispered hoarsely, "but my throat is sore and I have a headache now." 

"Do you need some Advil?" CJ asked with concern.  "I have some in my office."  Donna pointed to a bottle of pills on her desk and CJ nodded.  "I assume Josh is still making fun of you?"  Donna rolled her eyes.  "If it makes you feel any better," CJ continued, "just be thankful you don't have to attend a Senior Staff meeting." 

"What happened at that?" Donna rasped. 

"Josh didn't tell you?" CJ asked with surprise. 

"He said you all laughed, *a lot*, but he didn't elaborate." 

"Ah," CJ grinned.  "Well, why don't you come to my office for lunch and I will fill you in.  Believe me, it will make you feel better."  Donna nodded and grabbed a yogurt, following CJ down the corridor. 

Once they were settled in CJ's office, Donna on the couch and CJ in a chair, CJ grinned widely as she told Donna about the events of the Staff meeting two days previously, the day Josh had lost his voice. 

  
*Flashback* 

"Ah, Josh, glad you could join us," Leo said dryly as Josh finally entered the Chief of Staff's office, closing the door and dropping into a chair. 

Toby brought them up to speed on the latest draft of the Inauguration Speech and CJ discussed the stories she would need to cover at the morning briefing, gaining approval on the comments she planned to give.  Leo and Toby voiced their agreement while Josh merely nodded his head. 

"Frog Boy," CJ said loudly.  "Are you in agreement?" 

Josh narrowed his eyes as he realized Donna had spoken to CJ.  "Yes," he whispered. 

"What was that, Frog Boy?  I couldn't quite hear you," CJ asked, grinning widely. 

"Don't start with me, CJ," he warned, its effect completely ruined by his lack of voice. 

"Alright," Leo said seriously, getting their attention again, "as much as I'm enjoying seeing Josh suffer, we do have other items to attend to."  He glanced up before continuing and noticed the President standing in the doorway leading from the Oval Office.  They all started to stand up but were waved down again. 

"Don't get up," the President stated.  "I just thought I'd pop in to keep myself up to date."  He turned to face Josh.  "Josh, how's the Education Bill coming along?" 

Josh tried to answer but his warning to CJ had used the last of his voice.  He looked to Leo for help but couldn't catch his eye.  Struggling to provide an answer, he offered the President a copy of the notes that Donna had prepared. 

The President glanced at the top sheet of the notes and then looked curiously at Josh.  "Josh, what are you doing?"  Josh looked confused.  "I don't want to *read* about the Bill status, Josh; I never have time to read these things in detail, you know that.  I want to *hear* about it, so please, tell me where we're at."  He took a seat at the table and looked to Josh for enlightenment. 

"Uh, I..." Josh stammered hoarsely before coughing. 

"Why, Josh, is something wrong?" the President asked with a mischievous glint in his eyes and mirth in his voice. 

Josh looked around the room, surveying his colleagues, his boss and the President; all of them, even Toby, were stifling laughter. 

"Donna!  She's gonna regret this," Josh managed to whisper, causing everyone to chuckle. 

The President clapped a hand on Josh's back.  "Say, Josh, are you busy tonight?"  Josh eyed him warily then closed his eyes and shook his head, dreading the next words to be spoken.  "Good, I think it's time you and I caught up.  I remembered recently that we never did get to finish our discussion from a couple of years ago on National Parks." 

A groan escaped from Josh and he looked suitably worried as he looked up.  "Tonight, Sir?" he whispered.  "Is tonight best?  Since I can't really talk and all?" 

"I think tonight is *exactly* the right night, Josh," the President replied.  "After all, I will have your complete attention; you will be forced to listen rather than interjecting constantly with your supposedly witty remarks."  CJ laughed loudly as Josh's face took on a look of panic.  "Well, I'll leave you all to your meeting," the President said, standing up and heading to the Oval Office.  As he reached the doorway, he turned back to address Josh.  "I'll have Debbie call Donna and arrange a time, Josh."  The door closed behind him as Josh placed his head in his arms on the table. 

"Aww, don't worry, Frog Boy," CJ said, resting a hand on his arm.  "I think it's nice that the President wants to spend some time with you; I thought all guys liked `male bonding'."  Josh glanced up for long enough to glare at her before laying his head in his arms again. 

By the time the meeting drew to a close, CJ, Leo, and even Toby, had thoroughly mocked Josh.  Toby had suggested that the President might be in favor of letting Josh do the press briefing that day and Leo had announced that he was going to grant Donna's request to put up balloons and streamers in Josh's bullpen. 

"I hate you all," Josh stated, quietly, as he left the office; he stalked away to the sounds of laughter. 

*End of Flashback* 

  
"No wonder he didn't want to tell me," Donna whispered to CJ, gasping from laughter. 

Carol knocked on the door at that moment.  "Donna, Josh is looking for you.  He said to tell you that gossip time is over." 

Donna and CJ looked at each other and rolled their eyes but Donna rose from the couch and bid CJ farewell. 

* 

CJ appeared in Josh's office around 3pm.  "Josh?" 

He looked up to find her glaring at him and immediately shifted in his seat.  "Uh, CJ, what can I do for you?" 

"Let Donna go home." 

"Huh?" 

CJ closed the door and took a seat in the visitor's chair.  "Like I said, let Donna go home!" 

"Why would I do that?" 

"Because she's sick." 

"Well, I've always known that she's sick, her sense of humor is a dead giveaway, but -" 

"Joshua!" CJ was getting annoyed and Josh looked chastened.  "She has caught your cold, as you very well know, and I think you should tell her to go home." 

"I can't do that," he stated firmly. 

"Why not?" 

"Because..." he trailed off, knowing exactly what he wanted to say but trying to make sure there were no heavy objects around before he uttered the words.  Satisfied he was fairly safe, he said, "Then I won't get the benefit of her not being able to talk; she can't tell me to stop yelling." 

"JOSHUA!" CJ roared, stretching across the desk to smack his arm. 

"Ow," Josh said meekly, pushing his chair back against the wall. 

A thought occurred to CJ and she sat back, looking at him inquisitively.  "You know, it's only two days since you lost your voice, and it wasn't until that night that you actually started sneezing.  How did Donna get sick so fast?" 

"What do you mean?" 

"Well, normally it takes a few days for these things to be passed around, this seems kinda quick." 

"Well, we do work closely together." 

"Yes, but you work closely with a few people, one of whom is me.  In fact, I worked with you a lot on the afternoon you had lost your voice, when we were reading through the latest draft of the Education Bill, yet I'm not sick." 

"Maybe your immune system's better than Donna's," he suggested, shrugging his shoulders.  "Also, there is the fact that Donna came over with soup when I actually started *feeling* ill." 

"A fact that seems to escape your mind when you're mocking her," CJ pointed out; Josh smirked.  "Still, Donna told me that she wasn't there that long; she just gave you some soup and told you to go to bed." 

"Yeah, I was pretty exhausted from coughing and sneezing."  CJ looked to be in deep thought and Josh let out a loud sigh.  "Look, CJ, is there a point to this conversation?  I'm kinda busy." 

"Yes, the point is, Donna is now sick.  She is coughing and sneezing, as well as having no voice, and you need to let her go home." 

"She doesn't want to go home," Josh replied.  At CJ's raised eyebrows, he explained, "Not once have I heard her say `Josh, I want to go home'."  He smirked as CJ rolled her eyes. 

"You really are incredible, Joshua," she said dryly. 

"I know, you wouldn't believe how many women tell me that," he grinned. 

CJ shook her head and stood up, opening the door and calling for Donna.  She entered the office a moment later, looking from CJ to Josh and then back at CJ. 

"Donna, I think you should go home," CJ told her softly.  Donna became a little alarmed and looked to Josh again. 

"She thinks you're incapable," he stated with a grin. 

"Josh!" CJ admonished with a glare.  She then turned back to Donna.  "I think you need to go home and get some sleep, Donna, you look exhausted.  If you don't rest now your cold will only get worse." 

"I'm okay," Donna whispered.  "It's probably just a 24 hour thing, the same as Josh had." 

"That's not the point, you need to rest."  Donna shook her head again and CJ glanced at Josh before returning her gaze to Donna.  "Don't worry, Josh will survive without you, and if I hear one crack from him about how he managed to work through his cold, I'll kick his ass." 

"Hey!" Josh exclaimed, earning him another of CJ's glares; he shut up again. 

"Josh?" CJ said, looking at him seriously.  He looked confused for a moment and then caught on. 

"Donna," he said softly, "it's okay, you can go home.  You do look pretty tired." 

"I-"  Donna's objections were interrupted by a sneeze.  CJ guided her to the visitor's chair and handed her a tissue from the box on Josh's desk. 

"You're going home, Donna, no arguments," CJ stated.  "I don't think you're in any fit state to drive though.  Josh, what do you have this afternoon?" 

"What?"  He was confused again but soon got CJ's meaning when she glared at him.  "Oh, uh, I dunno, hang on..."  He searched his desk for his schedule, found it and then said, "My next meeting is Senior Staff at six, I have a ton of stuff to read through before then though." 

"You're always telling me that you're a highly capable man, Josh, I'm sure you'll manage to drive Donna home and still be able to read through everything when you get back." 

He was forming protests in his head but decided it was safer not to voice them.  "Fine," he grumbled.  "Donna, go get your stuff together, I'll be ready in a minute." 

  
* 

Josh drove Donna to her apartment without speaking.  He had been tempted to say things several times but, every time he opened his mouth, Donna let out a sigh of irritation and he thought better of it.  When he pulled up in front of her building he leaned over to release her seatbelt.  Placing a restraining hand on her arm he looked at her seriously for a moment. 

"You know, I thought CJ was going to figure it out there for a minute," he said with a smile.  "When I first told her you'd lost your voice, I actually stated you'd woken up like that.  She looked at me strangely for a moment and I thought she knew that you woke up in my bed this morning."  He smiled wistfully and Donna returned the smile.  "She then started playing twenty questions with me this afternoon about how you could have caught my cold so fast, since usually these things take a few days; she seemed to give up on it though," he continued.  "Just as well, I couldn't have held out much longer.  You can't believe how hard it was for me not to tell her that the main reason you're so tired today is because of last night, not because of your cold."  Donna blushed at his words and he grinned, letting go of her arm and exiting the car. 

* 

Donna crawled into bed as soon as she got home, only bothering to remove her shoes; she really was exhausted.  Josh took a glass of water into her bedroom and retrieved a box of tissues from the bathroom. 

"Are you gonna come over tonight?" Donna whispered hopefully.  "To look after me?" 

Josh smirked.  "What, and run the risk of catching a cold and losing my voice again?  Not a chance."  Donna threw a pillow at him.  "You know," he continued with an even larger smirk, "I would come over, but I think you're too tired to make it worth my while."  Donna pouted and he relented, "Actually, I think I will come over, I want revenge." 

"Revenge?" 

"Well, when you cough in my face, which you undoubtedly will, I want to push you down onto the bed and walk out, like you did to me." 

"Did you really think I would let you kiss me after you coughed all over me?" 

"No, I guess not," he sighed.  "In a way though, I'm kinda glad I didn't kiss you then." 

Donna raised her eyebrows.  "Really?  Why?" 

"Well, I was sick, I don't think I would have been able to kiss you with my usual panache."  She smirked at him and he knew exactly what she was thinking.  "Don't even try to say I don't have panache," he warned.  "We both know I do; I think I more than proved that last night." 

"You think?" she rasped. 

"Oh, I know," he said confidently. 

"I think you should be thankful it was just a 24 hour bug you had.  Although, you might have told me you were feeling a lot better yesterday afternoon, instead of acting sick so that I'd come over last night and bring you more soup," Donna mock-complained, her voice becoming even weaker. 

"Yeah, well, there was an ulterior motive there," he admitted, smiling at her.  "I wanted to show you that I'd regained my strength and I didn't think the office was the best place for that." 

Their eyes locked for a few moments until Donna finally sighed and said, "You'd better get back to the office, you have reading to do." 

"Yeah," Josh acknowledged softly. 

"*Are* you going to come over later?" she asked hesitantly; Josh smiled at the uncertainty in her voice. 

"Of course I am." 

"Will you bring me soup?" 

He rolled his eyes.  "I suppose so." 

"Homemade?" she whispered hopefully. 

"Yeah, by the deli I'm gonna stop at." 

"Hey, the soup I brought you was homemade!" 

"By your roommate," he shot back, laughing openly. 

"That's not-" she stopped to sneeze, "- the point." 

"Since when do I care about *other people's* points?" he smirked.  "I'll see you later, get some rest.  If this is a 24 hour bug, like mine was, you should get your rest now `cos I can guarantee you're gonna need it for what I have planned for tomorrow night, when you're well again." 

Donna smiled at him as he leaned down, giving her a lingering kiss.  "I thought you were afraid you might catch something?" she said breathlessly as they parted. 

"Yeah, but I'm thinking if I get this again they might put us in quarantine together." 

"Go to work!" 

Josh chuckled as he placed a light kiss on her forehead and left the apartment. 

* 

Back at the White House, Toby and CJ were having a conversation in his office. 

"When are we going to tell them that we know how Donna caught Josh's bug so quickly?" Toby asked CJ with a small smile. 

CJ grinned deviously.  "Let's see how long it takes them to figure it out.  Josh's mouth has been running away from him all day, it's kinda cute how excited he is; I think he's subconsciously desperate for one of us to comment so he can tell us about it."  Her grin got bigger as she imparted her plan to Toby.  "I think we should just wait it out, let him crack first; it'll be more fun that way." 

"Well, it's fine by me," Toby replied, matching her grin with one of his own.  "You know, CJ, you're hot when you're devious." 

  
The End 

Sequel: "Cracked"


End file.
